Marilyn's Musings

Mayhem and Ghost Stories, by Patricia Crandall, published by The Troy Book Makers is available at Independent Bookstores and on Amazon.com. “Mystery stories are meant to thrill and entice you the reader while engaging your thought process to see if you can figure out who has committed the evil deed. I invite you to such a challenge, one I’m sure is worthy of your ability and interest, to solve the crimes before the end of the various stories. Murder, Mayhem and Ghost Stories is a series of short and very short stories about murder, mayhem and ghostly happenings that I have successfully written and published over the years. Most were for a particular magazine requiring a specific number of words, e.g., 100 to 2000 words. The book is divided into categories and there is one very special story written by my Granddaughter, Nicole St. Onge, No Guts, No Gory, which will satisfy your mysterious needs.      Writing and publishing these stories have been my enthusiastic path t...

FRINGE BENEFITS is about a bad cop--but it is also the first time we meet reader's favorite, Gordon Butler. Some of the other officers we've met in the first two books make appearances too.  Review on Amazon: The main story in this book is about Cal Slyvester, an officer on the Rocky Bluff Police Department. He is attracted to a fellow officer's wife and begins plotting the demise of his own wife in order to collect the insurance. But this book is so much more. We see what is happening in the lives of the other police officers and also in the lives of some of the Rocky Bluff citizens. There is a Wednesday rapist, break-ins around the area where nothing much is taken, an accidental police shooting, a run-away whose parents don't even care enough to report him missing, and preferential treatment of certain citizens. The author takes all these threads and weaves them together into a tightly woven plot that will keep you guessing. I loved this book and look forward to more ...

This book also has had 4 publishers, and the final edition was re-edited.  Some of the characters from the first book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series appear in BAD TIDINGS, but the main character is Lt. Gilbreath. He often has to deliver bad news to relatives of accident or muder victims Gilbreath and his wife were inspired by a couple of our friends. He was the vice-principal at the highschool my kids attended, and I spent a lot of time with his wife. A warning: this book has some rather dark places in it. The mysteries came from actual happenings (fictionalized, of course) I either heard about or read about in the newspaper. I wrote this series as F.M. Meredith. To buy: https://www.amazon.com/Tidings-Rocky-Bluff-P-D-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08B4ZSZBR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2REBS6ZPQHBZB&keywords=bad+tidings+by+f.+m.+meredith&qid=1693576180&s=books&sprefix=bad+tidings+by+f.+m.+meredtih%2Cstripbooks%2C381&sr=1-1 Marilyn

While trying to find a thank-you card, I found notes I'd written for a speech I gave about my writing.  The notes began with the first book I wrote--TWO WAYS WEST--an historical family saga based on my father's side of the family. It followed two families making their west in totally different ways.  I found a small publisher and was happy with the way the book turned out, but never received any royalties.  All thewhile I kept writing, encouraging other writers, and teaching writing. I wrote another historical family saga about my mother's family coming to California, and it was publixhed by a New York publisher. It has had two differnt covers, and 3 publishers. While I still lived in Oxnard I wrote a police procedural based on what my cop son-in-law told me about what happened each night on the job. He also took me on a ride-along. Soon I'd written three more in the series. I had an agent, but editors said: "Too hard boiled," and "Not hard boiled enough....

I enjoy offering a free book and then watching how many download it. I used about three sites that advertise free books (they service is not free to the author), and I know the downloads went way up on the day that I'd selected for FUSSY LIBRARIAN to advertise--but they really jumped ahead on my birthday--have no knowledge why. One good thing that happens when a lot of books are downloaded is the number goes down for how the book is categorized--in this case it was cozies and female detectives On the last day the download total was 2,609--a goodly number. And, two of the next book in the series, DEADLY OMEN, had been purchased. Of course the whole idea of giving a free book away in a series is the hope that it will be read and liked and the reader will want to continue and read the next book.  One thing I noticed was some books in my other series had been purchased. This is always an interesting thing to do. Thank  you to everyone who downloaded a copy of DEADLY TRAIL ...

This is a BIG brithday--I've managed to be on this earth for 90 years.  To celebrate, I'm offering the first in the Tempe Crabtree mystery series on Kindle, free. This is the last day. When this book first came out it had a totally different cover, ine that didn't match the covers on the rest of the series.  Larry Collins did a great job creating this one that does have the same Indian feel as the other covers. My hope, of course, is you will read and like DEADLY TRAIL and want to continue with the series. To get your free book go here: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Trail-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07R7XF4L9/ref=tmm_kin_title_sr?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689869140&sr=1-1 Enjoy, Marilyn

This first book in the Tempe Crabtree mystery series is the beginning of Tempe's and Nick Two John's unique friendship. Though Tempe is from the Bear Creek tribe, she didn't grow up on the reservation and doesn't know much about her heritage. Throughout the series Nick teaches her about her culture and much of the mysticism connected with it. The story begins with the clash of the Indians against the loggers in the Sierra, and Tempe must arrest Nick Two John. When the owner of the Inn is murdered, Nick is the main suspect. Tempe begins her own investigation of the murder which puts her in great danger. Do take advantage of DEADLY TRAIL being free and get started on the adventures of Deputy Tempe Crabtree.  https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Trail-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07R7XF4L9/ref=tmm_kin_title_sr?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689869140&sr=1-1 Marilyn Want to learn more about me? https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Meredith/e/B001HPJ440?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1...

 Tempe is the resident deputy of the mountain community of Bear Creek.  She's Native American and a part of the Bear Creek Indian tribe. She has the components of three amazing women I met when I first came to Springville. The first was a fascinating Indian woman who grew up on the reservation. I wrote personality pieces for the local newspaper and interviewed our female resident deputy. She revealed a lot about what her job consisted of and how she was treated by the male deputies. The third woman was the only female officer at the time on the Porterville Police Department who I did a ride-along with. She told me all about what it was like for her working and bringing up her son.  The essence and the personalities of these three women became Tempe Crabtree. As for her name, I borrowed it from my great-grandmother because I thought it fit my heroine perfectly. The Kindle copy will be free until midnight on August 24. https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Trail-Tempe-Crabtree-Myst...

When I first moved to Springville and learned we were near an Indian reservation (The Tule River Indian Reservation) of course I was intrigued. I was hired by the local newspaper to write personality pieces, and on of my first articles was about the resident sheriff's deputy who happened to be a woman. She was not treated well by the male deputies. While doing a book appearance I met an Indian woman who happened to grow up on the reservation. We had a great visit. Then I went on a grave-yard shift ride-along with the only woman on the Porterville Police Department. She happened to be a single mom. We had a great time together and she told me a lot.  These three women were the models for Tempe Crabtree.  I borrowed my great-grandmother's name. I thought it fit perfectly.  The Springville Inn was the inspiration for the Bear Creek Inn which I usually called it the Inn. I used the true history of the Inn. The one in the story is not quite like the real one, though similar in...

And for my birthday gift to all of you, this book is free on Kindle starting today and ending at the end of August 24th. My good friend, editor, and publisher, Lorna Collins and I share August 24th as our birthday. Together we decided it would be fun to celebrate this way. Thie is the frist book in the series--though it's listed as # 0, making it difficult for some to realize it should be #1. The publisher who took on the first four books wasn't interested in Deadly Trail--and published the 2nd through fifth in mass-market paperback.  But it confused Amazon when I found another publisher who wanted the whole sereis. To get the free e-book go here: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Trail-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07R7XF4L9/ref=tmm_kin_title_sr?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689869140&sr=1-1 Blurb: The tranquility of the town of Bear Creek in the Southern Sierra is disrupted by the suspicious death of the owner of the local inn. Investigating a murder case isn't Deputy Te...

 This is the story about delivering and receiving bad news. And a warning--BAD TIDINGS is bloodier than most of my mysteries. The main character and his wife were based on friends of ours--with major changes of course. I love these two fictional characters. The crimes were inspired by true happenings. One scene, where the detective visits his wife long after visiting hours and no one stops him came from one time my husband and I visited a friend of his long after visting hours and we acted like we belonged there. Not a soul questioned us. Like all my books, the ideas come from everywhere. And of course Rocky Bluff lives on in my imagination. Marilyn https://www.amazon.com/Tidings-Rocky-Bluff-P-D-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08B4ZSZBR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2E95E4N8PUT14&keywords=bad+tidings+by+f.+m.+meredith&qid=1691676484&s=books&sprefix=bad+tidings+byy+f.+m.+meredith%2Cstripbooks%2C647&sr=1-1

The beginnings of this first book came from all the hours my police officer son-in-law, Mike,  visited me when he got off his nightly shift. Frankly, I didn't know a whole lot about writing or publishing back then even though I'd written two historical family sagas. I read a lot of mysteries and I knew the tales Mike related could be turned into a compelling mystery.  During that time period we lived in a beach community--and of course, I wanted to set this book in a similar one, though I moved it up the coast a bit and gave it a different look.  One of the local cops had been killed while investigating a domestic violence call. Mike told me a lot about what happened and different people's reactions. He also told me about one of the officers who was a publicity hound. My youngest daughter had a friend who lived in a house behind her father's mortuary. My daughter loved to go over and spend the night. I learned that she and her friend and two sisters liked to play in the...

I'm trying to be more prompt at writing new blogs.  Decided to write about one of my earlier books in the Tempe Crabtree mystery series.  THE TRASH HAREM is one of my favorite book in the Tempe Crabtree mystery series for several reasons. 1. I had fun writing it. I have two grown daughters who live in 55 plus communities, both quite different, but I combined elements of both into the fictional retirement community in THE TRASH HAREM. 2. I  love the Temecula area where the story unfolds. I used many place I've visited and made up some. 3. Some of the legends and history of the Pechanga Indians fit perfectly into the story. 4. I have a special fondess for Erle Stanley Gardner, been to festivals in his name, visited the wonderful display of his life, and read lots of his books. Years ago, I was privileged to meet three of his secretaries, and having him appear to Tempe in her dreams seemed perfect. 5. Though all the residents of the retirement community are fictional, one is...

After coming home from a wonderful conference like PSWA, there's a kind of a let down. Once everything is put away, clothes laundered, etc. I  couldn't help wondering, what next? I knew I needed to catch up on writing all my blogs, I've gotten woefully behind. I'm supposed to be writing two blogs a month for Make Mine Mystery, but so much has happened recently I never really got around to it. So I've caught up with next month. And I ignored my own blog, but caught up with highlights of the PSWA conference. Before I headed to Las Vegas I talked to my publisher, Lorna Collins, and told her I wanted to do a free-book in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. We agreed it should be the first on, which is listed on Amazon as #0. We chose to do it during our birthday week. (Yes, we share the same birthday.) Starting August 20th for 5 days, DEADLY TRAIL, will be free on Kindle.  Once you do that you must plan on promoting it.  I like to use Fussy Librarian which only promotes f...

A photo from a previous conferenc. This was a fun panel I was on. I'm going to answer the questions I was sent my the moderator--not necessarily answered during the panel, but I liked the questions. Mostly I've written in the modern time-period, but I've also written two historical family sagas. Because both my series began in the early 1980s there are many changes overtime.  I'm a pantser--but doing research of any kind often gives me ideas for the plot. (Pantser means writing by the seat of your pants, rather than plotting ahead of time.) Some of the resources to help bring the writing to life, no matter the time period is using all the senses--sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, etc.  For the question, where do you get your ideas--some of my ideas come from things that have happened that i know about, read in the paper or on the Internet,, ideas from things speakers have shared at a PSWA conference, or just popped into my head. Using dialogue that mores the story alon...

MANAGING MAYHEM AND KEEPING THINGS UNDER CONTOL WHEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE The moderator was John Schembra. Panelists: Dave Freedland, Robert Haig, William Soldado, Bob Calkins, Jim L'Etoile. All of these men had exciting, scary experiences to talk about, including out of control fires, riots and bad guys intent on mayhem.  The panel of NON-FICTION was moderated by Michael A. Black with panelists Jim Altfeldl, Joshua Lee, John Bluck, and Mike Brandt. They wrote non-fiction in various forms and explained how it should be done. Frank Zafiro moderated THE ART OF REVSION, with panelists : Victoria Weisfeld, Barbara Lloyd, Kelly Peacock, Den Cobet and Jim Christ.They discussed critique groups in person and on line, having a good editor, first readers, and using Scribners, Grammerly, Marlow and AI. And then the Awards Ceremon for the winners of the PSWA Writing Contest.  We were fed sliders and various finger foods.  The list of winners can be found on the PSWA websits.  O...

The next panel was about DOING SOMEONE IN PERMANENTLY.  Panelists Steve Ditmar, Dave Freedland, Jim L'Etoile, J. L. Greger and Gloria Casale gave us lot os ideas for unsual means of murder. The next panel was all abotu ways used to improve writing, from critque groups, beta readers, and various software enhancement program. Thos participating were Moderator  RJ Beam, and Panelists Ellie Oberth, Colin Conway, George Cramer, Barbara Hodges, and Kierston Marquet. And yes, they discussed using AI. STRETCHING THE LIMITS OF THE GAME was next moderated by Colin Conway and the panelists were Kelli Peacock, Barbara Lloyd, John Bluck, Johs Schembra and Thonie Hevron. It was about genres and themes that overlap one another. Such as  romantic suspense, Sci-Fi Mysteries, Historical Suspense, etc. On Saturdy the first speaker was former police officer, and retired FBI agent Pete Klismit who spoke abour profiling. He presented an actual murder and how he figured out who the murderer was...

The first day began with the well-attended writing workshop. I was there to help--but didn't do much. I love to hang around the reception table as people are checking in to greet old friends and meet new attendees.  A receiption followed and I spent a lot of time chatting with RJ Beam and John and Charlene Schembra. The first day's speaker was James L'Etolle who spoke about the prison system. Following are some of the notes I took: He stated that inside a prison is a hidden world, a closed society with its own rules, language and culture. He explaiend about the different types of prison and secutiry.  35 % of the prisoners are mentally ill.  James has two great books I know about: Dead Drop and Devil Within. Next was a panel I was on: The pluses and perils of writing a series. Fun one. Moderator: Michal A. Black, Other panelists: Frank Zafiro, Bob Doer, Sally Handley, Peg Roche. The second panel was Building a Solid Case: Moderator: Thonie Hevron. Panelists: Mike Brandt. ...

Over the years I've attended many writers and mystery conferences. This is the only one I've attended in the last few years for various reasons. My husband and I went together to many of them, but the last few years he wasn't in good enough health to attend. Now he is no longer with us, and I'll surely think of hime as I'm enjoying this one. The PSWA conference is like no other. Those who attend are mostly involved or were involved in some public safety frield, law enforcement including police, FBI, insuranc fraud, fire, health, and mystery writers like me who want to learn more. And also in my case since I've gone for so many years, served on the board of directors, I know so many people and love getting to mingle with them again.  When I get back home, I plan to do more promotion of my books, and of course I'll share what I learned.  Marilyn

By Lois Winston I suffer from news junkie-itis. At times, I think I must be a glutton for punishment, especially these days, given what we’re bombarded with on the nightly news and in daily newspapers. I have many friends who haven’t read a newspaper, either digital or paper, or watched network or cable news in…well, in what seems like forever. They claim it’s just too depressing. And it is. But I can’t stop. So why do I subject myself to a constant bombardment of everything that’s going wrong in the country and the world? The simple answer is that for me, the news is plot fodder. Even though I write humorous cozy mysteries, the plots and subplots of my books have all been inspired by what’s going on in the world around me. Anastasia, like her author, is a Jersey girl. I not only went to school with Mafia family members, but I grew up hearing stories about how my grandfather, as captain of a major county police force, brought many of the Mafia to justice. Consequently, Anastasia ...